Joseph w



(No Model.)

J. W. MOILHANY. BROOM 0R MOP HOLDER.

lgacglor WMHZ/zmz UNITED STATES PATENT Fries.

JOSEPH W. MOILHANY, OF LOOKHART, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ROBERT WV. FORTUNE, OF SAME PLACE.

BROOM OR MOP HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 566,787, dated September 1, 1896.

Application filed April 7, 1896. Serial No. 586,575. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH W. MOILHANY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lockhart, in the county of Caldwell and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Broom or Mop Holder, of which the follow ing is a specification.

My invention relates to brooms and brushes, and has for its object to provide a holder for broom-corn, corn-shocks, mops, and feathers, or other material for brushes, said holder being so constructed as to firmly clamp the material forming the head of the broom or brush and secure it to the handle.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in the following descrip tion, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view in operative position of a holder constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is adetail view in perspective of the holder detached.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates a handle to which is attached a seat or cap 2, having a socket 3 for the reception of the extremity of the handle, said seat or cap having an open bottom to receive the butts of the broom-corn, shucks, or other material employed for forming the head of the broom or brush. In connection with this seat or cap I employ opposite triangular clamping-levers, each consisting, in the construction illustrated, of a continuous wire or rod bent to form downwardly-divergent sides 4 and a cross-bar 5, the cross-bars of the two levers being arranged upon opposite sides of the plane of the material forming the head, and the arms of each lever being arranged at the edges of the head and crossing the plane thereof. Thus the side arms of each lever pass from that side of the plane of the head upon which the cross-bar is arranged to the opposite side of the seat or cap, and the extremit-ies of these arms are bent to form eyes 6, disposed in alinement contiguous to the handle and engaged by a transverse bolt 7. The side arms of each lever are connected by an intermediate fulcrum-rod 8, located contiguous to and parallel with the cross-bar 5, the intermediate or fulcrum rod of each lever being located upon the opposite side of the 5 5 plane of the head from said cross-bar, whereby when the extremities of the arms of each lever are drawn toward the plane of the handle for engagement by the transverse bolt the intermediate or fulcrum rod bears against one side of the head, while the cross-bar bears against the opposite side, and thus the head is firmly clamped therebetween. The use of duplicate clamp-levers insures the uniform engagement of the head and prevents the twisting thereof.

In constructing a broom-head by the use of the improved clamps the broom-corn, shocks, or other material is first arranged in the seat or ping them over the handle with the cross-bar of the lever upon one side and the interme diate or fulcrum bar thereof upon the other side until they reach their proper positions,

cap and then the clamps are applied by slipas shown in Figs. 1 and 2. .XV hen the transbe employed. It is preferable,when the device 8 5 is to be used as a mop-holder, to omit the seat or cap, which is only employed with broom and brush heads to hold the butts of the broom-corn or other material in proper position, particularly during the adjustment of the clamping-levers.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction maybe resorted to Without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this in- 'vention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A broom and mop holder having duplicate clampingdevers each provided with a ter- :00

minal cross-bar and an intermediate fulcrumrod adapted to be arranged upon opposite sides of the head of the broom or mop, and means for securing the opposite ends of the levers to a handle, substantially as specified.

2. A broom and mop-holder having duplicate clamping-levers each comprising a looped Wire or rod having a transverse central portion forming a cross-bar to bear against one side of a broom or mop-head and upwardlyconvergent side arms connected at an intermediate point by a transverse fulcrum-rod adapted to bear against the opposite side of the broom or mop-head, and means for engaging the extremities of said side arms and securing themto a handle, substantially as specified.

3. A broom or mop holder having a seat or cap attached to a handle and adapted to re 

